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Disney Comes to Cave Art on National Geographic Assignment

It’s not every day that you get to step into a time machine, but Chip Walter got the chance when National Geographic Magazine sent him with photographer Stephen Alvarez to France last May to become only the second journalists allowed to enter legendary Chauvet Pont d’Arc Cave in the south of France, home to some of the oldest and most beautiful ancient cave art in the world.

While there Chip was also allowed to travel to the location of a spectacular replica of the original cave being built nearby, part of a larger venue that includes a museum, visitors center and interactive exhibits about ancient art. A consortium of government agencies are spending a total of $67 million to create the high fidelity replica so that millions of visitors can appreciate the art in the original cave without destroying it.

Read Chip’s piece at National Geographic’s website, and get a flavor of what tourists will be experiencing when the replica opens this April 25th by watching this video fly through (below) of the project. It’s something to see and almost as good as the real thing. Almost.

It's not every day that you get to step into a time machine, but Chip Walter got the chance when National Geographic Magazine sent him with photographer Stephen Alvarez to France last May to become only the second journalists allowed to enter legendary Chauvet Pont d'Arc Cave in the south of France, home to some of the oldest and most beau